Part of my platoon buffing our floors, 3rd Platoon Alpha 1-46. The one thing I remember from that day is that those beds had to weigh a couple hundred pounds each, we couldn't slide them and had to get 4 guys to move them. We also starting using tower commands. We had heard them so often "The BSO (Bay Safety Officer) has indicated that the bay is clear, move your safety selector switch to buff and begin scanning downrange for scuffs."

I spent an entire summer AND winter at Ft. Knox and I care for neither.

During BOLC they had a day where were toured the Patton Museum. They were in the process of moving tanks so they had EVERYTHING getting packed up and going into storage. They must have had a lot with at least 100 or so different kinds of tanks ready to be moved. The best part? They were open and we had pretty much free reign of the place.

Just want to say thank you for the pictures, all you guys posting them, its nice to be reminded of memories we forgot we had I didn't do Basic at Knox or stationed there other than my last few years in service where I spent those in the Reserves as a Drill-SGT. I guess in a way I did basic training, but I taught it to reserve troops. My MOS wasn't armor, I was Infantry, but that did not stop me from appreciating armor at all.

Wow, I can't believe how much it has changed. I wasn't even aware they were doing it lol. I entered Armor School in 1999, and the pictures you had here sure brought back a lot of memories. The only thing I have left now is my graduation ring and a lot of memories of heartbreak, misery, and the rest of my favorite hills to have to march up....

Ah good ole misery and heart break. My Dad went there in the 80's and i was there in 2007. couldnt help but think that when i was on the ruck marches that my dad rucked in the same place I was. its a shame the place looks so empty and a banded.

Man the memories that FT Knox brings back. I did my training there and spent permanent party there back in 84-87.Being assigned to the HHQ, 5th Battalion, 33rd Armor, 194th Armored brigade was a pleasure and had a lot of good times at that base.Back then a 19E10 armor crewman meant you could do anything.Lets see I drove an M113 for the medics,drove a duce and a half for our supply sarg,but finally landed the job to drive the Battalion commanders tank.What a blast that was,the stories I could go into.Driving a tank has got to be one of the highlights of my life.It sucks that the 194th was disbanded, we knew something was going to happen.All of us were completely trained in the M1A1 and the word was the brigade was turning into a CAV unit but sadly i dont know what happened as I was disharged right before the change over. If anyone knows what happened to them or what the unit is called now I would be much appreciated.During Desert Storm though I believe there was a tank Battalion from FT KNox that did fight and was involved in that hook that caught Sadaam's army from behind and just totally whooped thier butts.Going to have to scan up the picture of me standing in front of my tank and use it as my avatar.

Thanks for the trip back in time. I remember Knox fondly, arriving in 1991 as a PFC recruit after college ready to serve my country as a tribute to my ailing grandfather. From the bus ride to reception and the first hair cut in the same place the actors received theirs from in the movie Stripes. The old weathered DI's at reception giving us the SSG Hulka routine. Its hard to imagine all that area gone. It seems like just the other day when a truck drives up and with all of us and our gear in formation these younger, meaner, louder, and jacked up DI's come storming at us compared to the ones in reception. We throw our gear in the back of the Duce and a half's, thinking we are getting a ride to our new home in Disney Barracks. Which we could see oh so in the far distance. No, this was our first orientation into the indoctrination of the double time road march. Guys were puking, twisting ankles (new boots) and by the time we reached our destination complaining about blisters. I for one was helping stragglers and taking it all in with a fervor for wanting them to give me their best shot, so I could prove to myself and them that I had the mettle to be all I could be.

Red, Black, Green and Yellow.....the phases of my life for 16 weeks. Black being my favorite. Scouts vs Tankers...don't cross the line at the PX if we catch them in our AO its hell to pay! They will never catch us because we are trained to be stealthy if your caught you get to stay with them and change your MOS cause your not worthy to be called a scout! (Unknown DI orientation comment) I never got caught I was always good at recon and took pride in that! lol

Who can ever forget standing in formation at o'dark thirty with the post mascots running around?! I cant, every time i see a skunk i remember how i didnt need to much DI motivation to double time!! lol

Scouts Out became my motto! And is one that I cling to still today. That place you were in and the one i remember still guide me in many ways today, long after the shooting and scooting has been done. I remember and remember fondly, even after misery, agony AND MF'er!!! They never got the best of me but always got my best!...thanks for the trip!
Ft. Know will always be my first home.
ScoutsOut!!

19Kilo here.. Alpha-1-81 Training.. Basic and AIT I think it was 1987 or 88

I was in the barracks that had the only Marines on the base.

Anyone remember Alpha 1-81 or the Marines barracks?

Heya Dhante... been a long time ago and posted once already above but started my OSUT in January of '87, older brother and I where in the same company for Basic (until he blew his knee out during a touch football game)...

Heya Dhante... been a long time ago and posted once already above but started my OSUT in January of '87, older brother and I where in the same company for Basic (until he blew his knee out during a touch football game)...

Do you remember the Marine barracks then?
Looking from the front of the bldg they had the right half.
Alpha/Army Tankers had the left half.
It was exactly like anyone would expect in that situation.. FUNNY.. Halfway down each floors hallway there was a makeshift drywall divider.. all night long the Army side was semi-quiet and the Marine side was like a raucous Highschool keg party.. Music, rumbling floors, laughing, shouting, arguing, things banging and clanging ... good thing we Army guys were so friggin tired we could sleep easily enough thru' it all.

PS. What is OSUT either I've never heard of it or my brain has holes in it.
PS.. Did you guys have Pneumonia like all of us did during that winter? Complete with Olive Drab Gummy Balls coughing up from the lungs? That was an important part of our training to be sick as a dog and and still function.

I went thru Basic at Fort Knox in August-December... and let's say I will never forget the cold and the Small hills they called ( Misery, Agony and Defeat(Stairway to Heaven)) but those are the barracks and you just brought memories of parts of that base i forgot about and I now remember our AKA 15k (24k) road march to the parade field at 0200 after marching and doing the ranges... those were good times I have to appreciate the pictures man, good job in helping remember Fort Knox the way it used to be

OSUT is what they called the training at Knox- instead of going through Basic at one place, then going to AIT at another after graduation, we went through one 16 week course that covered both and came out 'qualified Armored Crewmen'. Most soldiers went through basic at someplace like Jackson, Benning or Knox, then went to specialized AIT at places like Sill, Ord, and other spots with MOS specific schools. Tankers, Cav Scouts and a few others went through it all in one fell swoop.

Wow, thanks for the memories.
Went through Basic and AIT at Knox from July to November of 1976.
Returned in 1980 to serve in I co 2nd of the 6th Cav.
Was present during trials of the M1,. designated XM1 at the time.
Had a shot at being an extra in the film Stripes but my CO nixed that,
said my job took precedence over my film career. Did get to meet the
cast and crew in the NCO club though.